Ch. 21

APOV

Songs: Never Wana Know by MO, Closer by Kings of Leon

Rose was stunning on the dancefloor. It was no surprise that all eyes gravitated towards her as Belikov glided her across the slick marble. Her crimson dress whipped around them, drawing all the men's focus to her like a bull to a mariachi. But in actuality, Rose was the fierce Brahman beast ready to take on an assailant in a second's notice.

Every man in the room became green with envy and in those moments they looked like they would give anything to be in the Russian Guardian's place…including me.

At one time, the sight of the two of them in such a rapturous embrace would have stung almost as badly as one of their silver stakes driven to my chest. But their radiant auras brought me back to reality and reaffirmed the fact that they belonged together. That's to say if she would stop being so goddamn stubborn.

I indulged in watching them dance for a few more moments before finally turning my back away and heading towards the outskirts of the party. Seeing them together in a normal, casual setting was one thing, but witnessing their emotional and physical connection in such a sensual way was another. I cherished the friendship we had built. Rose trusted me and sought me out when she needed me, but there was still a small part of me that wanted something more. A small part that I promptly scolded and tried to banish. Along my route I kept reciting the same thoughts in my mind to tame the rising jealousy in my gut: He makes her happy. It's what's best for her. He completes her.

I sat down my almost full glass of champagne on a nearby table and made my way to the bar. A routine I had established throughout the night. I needed to appear I was still the same reckless party-boy that everyone assumed I was, but I wanted to keep a level head all the same. I lifted a finger at the bartender, signaling for another drink and propped my elbows up on the cool surface. The barkeep set my drink next to me and I took a small sip as I peered at Rose again. The music had faded and it appeared that dear old Grigory finally made his way over to her. I grinned, pleased to see that Zmey's plan had worked.

"Cheeky bastard," I murmured into my glass.

"Je vous demande pardon Monsieur?" The bartender looked at me confusedly.

"J'ai dit: excellente whiskey," I replied, bringing a polite smile to his face.

I nonchalantly strode away from the bar and set down the glass tumbler on one of the marble ledges. Casually leaning against a nearby column, I began searching for familiar auras. Rose was halfway up the stairs with Grigory by now and it was about time I made my way back over to Zmey to make sure we all had a good view of her "interrogation"—but before I could spot him, a faint whisper drifted into my ear.

"Adrian," the voice beckoned.

I peeked around to see who it had come from, but there was no one in sight. I thought maybe I had imagined it when, "Adrian," there it was again. I walked behind the white column and could see a soft light coming from a dark corridor. I wandered towards the atrium and the further I walked, the louder the voice grew, summoning me to it.

There was something painfully familiar about that voice, drawing me nearer and nearer. When I finally reached the source of the dim light, there was a large doorway slightly cracked. I leaned in to see if I could hear any voices, and when no one made themselves known I carefully pushed it open. The room appeared to be a quaint office featuring a large mahogany desk coupled with a few deep red leather couches and armchairs, a crackling fire in the corner giving off the only light. One of the walls was lined with books and I made my way over to it to get a closer look. As soon as I crossed the threshold, the door behind me slammed shut, causing me to leap about a foot in the air.

"What the—" I whipped around to see a shadowed silhouette standing near the door.

"I've been waiting for you to come find me," an elegant female voice uttered.

Damn, the girls at this party were more desperate than most. I cleared my throat to settle the last of my jolted nerves before speaking. "Listen, Miss, I'm very flattered and would normally be inclined to indulge in your assertive ploy, but I have some friends waiting for me. So if you don't mind," I started making my way towards the door before she spoke out again.

"Tsk tsk. Oh Adrian, still as cocky as ever. When will you finally learn that not every girl is hoping to get into your pants?" She spoke more clearly this time and her voice sent chills down my spine. "I thought Rose would have rid you of that habit by now." She weaved out of the corner and stepped further into the glowing light.

"L—Lissa?" I was frozen in place as terror coursed through my veins. Her pale blonde hair glowed like the full moon next to the burning embers of the fireplace and her translucent skin looked as hard as the marble floors in the ballroom.

"Hello, cousin. I've missed you." It was strange hearing my old term of endearment snake off her tongue. Her face was still shadowed in the dim room and it was difficult to gage her expression. "Have you been enjoying yourself this evening?"

I gulped, unsure how to respond to her casual banter. "You could say that, I guess."

"Hmm," she turned towards one of the leather sofas and gracefully sat down, her white dress spilling over the edges of the cushions. "I find that hard to believe."

Lissa motioned me to the adjoining chair and I reluctantly walked over to it, my eyes wide as I slowly sat down across from her. "I was watching you out there, I could see you weren't your usual self."

"Maybe I've made some changes for the better," I replied.

"HA! That would be the day, wouldn't it?" Despite her amused words, her response was anything but.

I sat still. Wondering how to handle the situation. I selfishly wished Rose were here.

"Well, since you don't seem to be too keen on chatting, I'll get straight to the point." She lifted her hand and swiped a chunk of her silky hair over her shoulder. The movement caused the fire's orange glow to illuminate part of her face. Her eyes were still shadowed but I could see a small smile creeping up her cheeks. "I have a proposition for you."

"Is that so? And here I thought we had established that this wasn't that type of meeting," I nervously jested.

She let out a low chuckle and placed her hands on the arms of her chair. Her nails were longer than she used to keep them and instead of her usual baby pink manicure, she was sporting a dark, alluring red.

"These friends of yours—or so you call them—they don't take you seriously."

"Isn't that a catch of being me? No one does."

"I do," she deadpanned. "I always have, and you know that to be the truth."

I thought back to all the times she had coaxed me into trying harder. To not give up when I wanted to slam my head against the desk or pound a bottle of vodka. She was always my cheerleader as well as my coach.

I nodded. Agreeing without voicing my thoughts aloud. "There is more to you than they give you credit for. Everyone underestimates you because they are too weak to see the potential for greatness when it is hovering right in front of their faces. I am not weak," she leaned her head forward away from the chair. "Not anymore." Lissa brought her face fully into the light, finally revealing those red, tainted eyes.

I sank further into my seat, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. "I can make them see you. I can give you the tools you need to accomplish great power. The power we always dreamed of."

"That power was related to Spirit. Using our abilities to do good. Not for selfish indulgences," I reasoned.

"Spirit will drive you mad before you ever have a chance to reach its full potential. You know it as well as I do, and there's no way to stop it." I paled at her words, unable to form a justified argument. "Besides, I can give you more than just an end to the madness."

"And what's that?" At this point, I was just stalling. I had no interest in power, immortality, or anything else she could throw at me, but I had to construct a way to get out of here and keeping her talking was the only way to buy myself time to figure it out.

"I can give you Rose."

Her words halted my racing thoughts. "What?"

"I know how you still care about her. I can see it in your eyes." I looked down. Ashamed of myself for being so transparent. It was true, I did care about her immensely but I was starting to come to terms with her being with someone else. All I truly wanted was for her to be happy.

"She'll never be happy with him," my eyes shot up to Lissa. Had she read my thoughts, or was she just that good at reading me? "You can give her so much more."

Lissa lifted one of her palms off the couch and moved her fingers in a crawling motion. I simultaneously felt a light prickle in my mind as a vision began to form inside it. It was blurred at first and a little hazy, but there was no mistaking what it was. Rose. She was twirling around the dancefloor in that deep red dress, enraptured by her partner's embrace. But as the image sharpened, I realized this time it wasn't Belikov holding onto her waist—it was me. She smiled as I spun her around and pulled her close to me, my hand carefully moving up to touch her soft hair.

Suddenly the prickling stopped and the vision evaporated from my mind. I shook my head and looked back over to Lissa in disbelief. "What was that?"

I felt like I had just woken from a dream, but everything was so much more real. Even more real than what I could produce in Spirit dreams. The feel of her velvet hair was still on my hands and my jacket emitted hints of her enchanting perfume.

"It's what your life could be. It's exactly what I can give you. All I ask is for one small favor in return."

"Yes..?" Curiosity got the better of me as my dazed response slipped out.

"Bring me Christian."

RPOV

Song: Run by Awolnation

I felt an initial wave of panic shoot through me as the grip on my arm tightened and pulled me away from the balcony. I thought one of the Strigoi hidden amongst the shadows had gotten the upper hand, but when I turned around to get a look at my assumed attacker, my worries vanished.

Dimitri.

He shoved his way through the panicked crowd, creating a pathway towards the front entrance. His stake was in his hand, warding off any of the Mână groupies that dared threaten him. I could see a couple other Guardians huddling their charges behind them, bracing for an attack, while some Moroi just stood still in place, staring at the horrible scene we were leaving behind us. Dimitri lifted his hand to his ear as he spoke into his earpiece, yelling out orders and instructions to Eddie and Pavel. Something stopped him midsentence and before I could see around his tall form, his grasp on my arm released and he lunged forward towards an attacker.

I used the opportunity to throw off my high heels and fish out my stake hidden below the red silk fabric. As soon as it was free, I felt a cold hand brush my shoulder and I whipped around before it could take hold. I kicked out furiously at my assailant's stomach, his red eyes widening with surprise. Before he could compose himself I lunged my stake up at his hunched chest, driving the silver tip into his dead heart. I hovered over his body lying on the floor, not recognizing him as any of the others from the ballroom.

"Rose!" Dimitri's voice snapped my attention. "Move!"

I dashed towards him, hopping over another Strigoi's body left behind by Dimitri. The room was now in full chaos. So much was happening around us I couldn't tell who was on which side. My instincts were telling me to stop and fight, but I didn't know who I would be helping. We were only a couple yards away from the front doors and I could see our freedom just on the other side when three Strigoi stepped out into our path. One was almost as large as Dimitri and the other two were dressed in Guardian attire. This wasn't going to be an easy match.

Their snarling faces, meant to incite fear, only spurred me on and I prepared myself for a brutal attack. I looked deep into their crimson eyes, hatred boiling in my chest when suddenly, the blacks of their pupils flashed in waves of orange and white as hot flames enveloped their legs. Their screams echoed off the marble columns and they frantically shuffled around, trying to put out the scorching flames. Out of nowhere, Eddie flew at one of the Strigoi on the end, slashing his stake for the kill and Dimitri and I quickly followed suit.

The flames died as their bodies fell to the floor and Christian walked up beside us. "Let's go," he breathed.

We pushed through the enormous doors and stormed down the steps. I could see a faint trace of the sun beginning to rise in the distance and felt a pang of relief that everyone would be safe soon. Abe was waiting at the base of the entrance near a black SUV with Pavel in the driver's seat. He opened the door letting Christian and Eddie in when I paused to look around.

"Wait! Where's Adrian," I frantically searched the inside of the car.

"I thought he was with you," Christian motioned to Abe.

"I haven't seen him since Rose left with Szelsky."

"What?!" I shrieked at the two of them and slammed my hand against the car door. "We have to go back for him." I turned back towards the entrance and a hand immediately clung to my wrist.

"Rose, wait," Dimitri's worried voice accompanied his grip.

"No! I won't leave him behind." I glared at him, daring him to challenge me. He considered me for a split second before conceding and giving me an agreed nod. We both started moving towards the stairs we had just barreled down when Eddie spoke out, motioning to the other end of the building. "Guys, look!"

We whipped our heads in the direction he was pointing at to see a disheveled Adrian jogging towards us. I raced over to meet him, flinging my arms around his neck. "Umph," he let out a grunt as my body slammed into his.

"Thank god you're alright," I whispered. His arms carefully wrapped around my back and gave me a tight hug.

"Don't worry, Little Dhampir. It'll take a lot more than a few Strigoi to get rid of me." He pulled back and gave my hand a firm squeeze. "Come on. We gotta go."

We all piled into the SUV and as soon as the doors closed, Pavel peeled out of the gravel driveway.

"Where were you?", "How did you get out?" Eddie and Christian fired at Adrian.

"There was a service entrance at the back. When I heard all the commotion I made my way out and headed for the front." Adrian's offhand response didn't seem to win Christian over and he eyed him skeptically. I could tell another question was on the tip of Chris' tongue but before he could ask the car jerked and our bodies slammed to the right.

Dimitri was in the front seat pointing at the road ahead. "Take your next left here," he directed.

We all quieted down so they could concentrate on getting us out of that literal hellhole behind us. I turned around and could see a few others starting to flee the building, but wondered how many were still inside by force—or by choice.

Eva POV

Songs: Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole by Martha Wainwright, Heaven Knows by The Pretty Reckless

Growing up with the Salvatori had been—interesting. To say the least. When they first arose, they were basically mercenaries who followed St. Vladimir as disciples, healing and restoring our kind through his teachings of Spirit magic. During the dark ages, many of them had been wiped out by the enemy, snubbing us out before we had a chance to restore their kind back to their natural state. Now, we were mostly renegade Spirit users hiding our abilities from the Royal Court and practicing in secret until we were strong enough to accomplish our true goals.

My mother, Elara, and sister, Josette, were leaders of our faction. Before I was born, our home had been invaded by Strigoi. Elara had once told me my father was a great warrior, one of the most elite Guardians of his time. Well, not actually my father. That yellow bastard never treated Elara well and left us when Josette was just over three—my mom newly pregnant. The man she and Josette claimed as our father was her Guardian, Kristof. She had saved him years prior when some punk had tried to mug them. After trying to calm the nervous kid down, he was accidentally shot and badly wounded. He bled out in minutes, leaving no time for an ambulance to arrive, but Elara brought him back. They built a strong bond over the years, and the only good thing my mother's piece of shit husband ever did for us was leave, allowing her and Kristof to finally act on their true feelings and be together. Though short-lived, Josette recalls those last months as the happiest times of their lives.

Elara told me how dedicated he was to watching over us and vowed to keep us safe. But even all his strength and years of experience were no match for the numbers they descended upon us. He sacrificed himself and held them back while my pregnant mother and Josette escaped. Not many Strigoi still knew of our kind and the abilities we possessed, but those who did—were ancient, powerful, and ruthless. They would do anything to snub us out and prevent us from rising up again and helping the Guardians defeat their kind once and for all.

Elara lost her bondmate that night, and if it weren't for us it would have nearly killed her. I spent my early childhood fleeing from town to town. We never stayed in one place for too long for fear that the Strigoi would find us again. Eventually, we started to run out of options and my mother became desperate for refuge. That's when she met Abe Mazur.

She had heard there was a man called Zmey that would barter favors for secrets, and secrets were the only things we had to give. Elara was the least trusting person I had ever known, which just goes to show how desperate she truly was. I remember the first time I looked into the serpent's eyes.

My mother had warned Josette and me to stay out of his mind, for fear of retaliation if he should find out, but after she told him what we could do and why it was important we stay hidden, he asked for a demonstration. Josette quickly read his thoughts and spoke of a baby with dark hair and darker eyes. Her a name and face as sweet as a flower.

Zmey's eyes flashed with shock and awe, his tall Guardian watching him with concern. Then, he looked to me. I was only seven at the time, Josette four years older, but my powers were strong. He lifted his hand in the air, eyes still fixed on me, as vines from the plant behind his desk began crawling towards me. They grew at a menacing speed and launched at me, but just before they reached my small body I halted them. I could see sweat forming on Zmey's brow as he put more effort into his magic. I held the green foliage in place, keeping them still in the air, before finally sinking them to the floor and disintegrating them to wilted rot—or so he thought in his mind.

Zmey practically collapsed against his desk and his Guardian rushed to his side, sharp eyes like daggers fixed at the three of us. The Moroi mobster raised his hand, signaling that he was alright and looked down at me again. "Child. Can you do this with every element?"

"Earth and air," I responded confidently. "But I haven't had much practice with water and fire yet."

"I see," Zmey stroked his beard. "Well, we will have to make sure that you do."

I smiled at his offer and my mother tucked me against her body. "The magic has a price," Elara spoke out.

Zmey nodded in understanding and replied, "As does everything else in our world."

We stood there silently while he engaged in a hushed conversation with his Guardian, hoping we had done well enough to convince him. When he finally spoke up my body jerked from anticipation of the sound.

"I know a place that will take you in. I have heard rumors that they house others like you, but have never been permitted to enter myself. They are very…selective of who crosses their gates. However, I believe you are just the type of people to gain admittance." He rustled a few pages on his desk and picked up his phone to make a call. "Pavel here will escort you, along with a few others of my personal guard, and will make sure that you are kept safe."

"Thank you. Thank you, sir. You don't know how much this means to us," Elara expressed.

"Actually, I do," the serpent replied. He rose from his chair with a serious look that sent chills up my arms. "I will keep your secret, and maintain your family's and the facility's protection. But in exchange, favors will be owed. And when I come to collect, there will be no arguments."

My mother stood frozen for a moment, questions appeared to be racing through her mind. Looking back, she was probably weighing our options, but it was just as clear now as it was then that we had no other options. "I understand."

The Salvatori willingly took us in, and Zmey delivered on his promise. Our community was well hidden, protected by extensive wards, and kept secret from the Royal Court. Not even the Alchemist were privy to our location, or even existence, for fear of anyone turning and letting out our whereabouts to their Strigoi brethren. Josette and I trained side by side, refining our current skills and picking up on new ones whenever we could. Her and Elara eventually took on leadership roles and gained respect from our other community members, but I preferred to stay on the sidelines. We had been taught a variety of ways to take away some of the side effects that came with using too much Spirit, but the methods didn't always work on me.

There were nights where my rage would completely take over and the only solitude I could find was in staking dummies in the abandoned shed that we had converted into a gym. I would come back to our quarters, red hair matted to my face and blood seeping out from my knuckles, only to be greeted by reprimanding from Elara.

"You need to slow down Eva. You're using too much power. It's not healthy for you." The same argument I had heard a thousand times. I had become an expert at ignoring her scolding lectures and nodded robotically in response.

The other Salvatori regarded me with caution. I was an outsider even amongst my own kind. Well, to everyone except Josette. She never told me to slow down or hold back. She understood as much as I did, if not more, why I needed to keep pushing. Josette had witnessed the monsters that invaded our home and stole our father from us. We both felt a burning desire to avenge him and would stop at nothing to uphold our promise to each other.

Still, despite all the training and all the preparation, nothing primed me for the feeling of staking a Strigoi. The first time was a rush of every emotion imaginable. Hatred and disgust for the creature before me, unrelenting power as I drove my stake into her chest, warmth and unimaginable thrill as the magic poured out of me and into her, and deep-rooted depression as she screamed out in agony for all the souls she had diminished. I'd like to say it got better with time, but that would be a lie. Each transformation took a toll on my body and soul.

But not as much as Josette. Because of her power over the mind, as they turned she could feel their pain. She could see the faces of all those men, women, children that they tortured and bled dry. She described it as their guilt and torment leaching into her and clutching onto her insides like a poisonous weed. Growing up, we wanted nothing more than to save every lost soul we came across, and in a way I still did. But now, I also feared what it would eventually do to Josette. When would it finally be too much to bear and I would find her trapped in all their combined guilt and madness with no way to break out?

At night, I would wake up to the sounds of her soft weeping as she tossed and turned in her restless sleep. When she was out in front of the others, she was the epitome of strength. But in her sleep, her terrors seeped through and invaded her dreams. Sometimes I would hover over her and try to take some of the dark thoughts away, but it would cause her to wake and she'd rebuke me for wasting my abilities on things that didn't matter.

"Save it for them," she'd glare at me in the dark.

When Zmey finally approached us to collect his favor, Elara did as promised and agreed without argument. He needed someone to go with him on a mission to help a group of runaways bring back the last Dragomir Princess. It sounded glamorous and sensational coming off the serpent's shrewd tongue, but we all knew what it really meant. Imminent danger.

Josette had by far the most experience and skill with transformations than any of the other Salvatori and was immediately offered up for the role. My mother made her some extra charms for the road, to keep the side effects at bay, but even she wasn't privy to the damage that Josette's magic truly caused.

"Jo, you can't go. You have to tell Elara. Someone else can do it," I pleaded with my sister.

"Don't even start. You know that we owe him, it's not right to send someone else in our place. I'll be fine." She kept her back to me as she packed her things into a small suitcase resting on her bed. Even though she was putting effort towards hiding her aura, I could tell she was just as worried as I was.

"What if they find out? What if they come after you? I can't lose you, Jo!" I ran over to her bed and slammed her suitcase shut. We had never been separated and it was killing me to put my trust in someone else to have her back.

"Eva," her soothing voice cooed. "I have to do this. You don't have to trust them, you just have to trust me." I hated when she read my thoughts.

She placed her hand lovingly on my shoulder and looked me in the eyes. "Besides, we still have a promise to uphold. I won't stop until we find him and set him free. This journey might be an opportunity to get some information from the outside."

"But if Elara would just—"

"You know she can't do that," Josette interrupted. "She used most of her magic to put up a permanent block when he was turned and if she takes it down for even a second there's no telling if she'll be able to get it back up. He'll be able to find us before we can find him."

I looked to the floor defeated, already missing Jo even though she was still there beside me. "I'm scared," I admitted. "I know you don't want to tell anyone, but I can see what it's doing to you. What if this is really it? The transformation that finally breaks you?"

She stood there still, taking in my hushed words. "It won't."

I opened my mouth to speak again, but she held up a finger to her mouth then pointed to the door as a shadow crept across the hall. "Go on now, get some rest. I'll be leaving in the morning and want to see you bright-eyed before I go; not pissed off because the alarm woke you up too early. That's an order," she teased as she pushed her forehead against mine. I smiled and made my way over to my bed.

Later that night, I woke up to her soft wails again as the visions began tearing at her mind. My heart sank into my stomach and my worry grew more and more as I pictured her falling slowly into madness. I looked over to the nightstand to see the piece of parchment containing Abe's phone number and meeting location. I deftly crawled out of bed and went over to my dresser to grab a change of clothes. I reached into the back of my dresser drawer and pulled out a tin can containing a photo of Elara sitting with Josette and a tall, strong man gazing down at them lovingly, a tender hand resting on my mother's protruding belly. I gave it one last longing look and gently put it back into its safe hiding place before reaching further down to retrieve my stake. I grabbed the silver charms my mother had made along with Josette's suitcase. Most of her clothes would be too long on me, but it was better than nothing at all and it gave me comfort that I would have a part of her with me. I stood still for a moment, gazing down at her tossing form and held out my hand above her. I trickled the tiniest bit of magic to soothe her but held back on the full amount so she wouldn't wake. Her brow started to loosen and her shoulders seemed slightly less tense.

"I love you, Jo," I whispered into the dark. "I won't let you down."

Before I could change my mind I snatched the parchment off the nightstand and headed out the door, a rush of excitement and fear flowing through my veins.

I sat in Mazur Manor, impatiently waiting for them to return. I hated being left behind almost as much as I hated fancy parties. The thought of someone trying to put a brush through my unruly hair and squeeze me into a tight dress brought an uncontrollable grimace to my face.

I considered going downstairs to the Guardian gym Pavel had shown me to practice my strikes and pass the time, but I had already gone this morning and didn't want to wear myself out in case they actually succeeded in bringing the Princess back. My anxiously tapping foot was on the verge of putting a hole into the tiled floor as I tried to do anything to distract myself from thinking of my family.

"Fuck it!" I jumped off the couch, finally conceding to the fact that another workout was better than doing absolutely nothing when suddenly, the front door flew open. I crouched down and grabbed my stake, ready to pounce until familiar voices made their way into the room.

Zmey had his phone glued to his ear speaking rapidly in Turkish and the others filed in behind. Eddie and Dimitri's suit jackets were missing, their stakes in hand. Rose's dress was tattered at the bottom and had a jagged slit up the side that wasn't there before. Chris strode over to me with a worried look on his face and Adrian stood quietly off to the side, his arms crossed protectively around his torso.

"Uh, what happened to you guys," I asked.

A/N: Okay, I know this break was a little random/not ideal, but the chapter would have been way too long if I didn't stop here. Also, with some Eva POVs coming up it was important to get a good chunk of her backstory out in the open. Hope you like her so far!

Salvatori Translation – the saviors